Critical reviews (by Lutheran pastors, educators and church musicians) of books and other resources for Christian use from a perspective rooted in Holy Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and good common sense. We ask, "Is it worth the money to buy, the time to read and study, the shelf space to store, and the effort to teach?"

Monday, July 2, 2012

Noted Review: Christian Fiction

As one might imagine in the second book of a trilogy, the
saga that began in Book 1 continues.Above all else, Professor Litfin spins a great yarn.This reviewer was absorbed by the story from
beginning to end.The two main
characters from The Sword – Teofil and Anastasia - are back with a fine
supporting cast of good and evil characters.Overall, I was less impressed with Book 2 of the Chiveis Trilogy.I suppose it was because for me some of the
novelty of the story had worn off just a bit.But still the overall premise is ingenious – writing from the
perspective of not having a copy of the New Testament far in the future and
trying to figure out the fullness of Christian faith.

The Gift has a three-part division as did The
Sword.Part One is Solidarity; Part Two is Extravagancy; and Part Three is Victory.The story revolves around Teo and Ana’s quest for a copy of the New
Testament.It is intriguing how they and
others working together piece together much of what the Old and New Testaments
reveal about the true God – “Deu” in their case.I admire the ability of Professor Litfin to
help the reader imagine that, yes, we do not know the fullness of God’s
revelation of Himself.Parts are missing
and all we have is an incomplete picture.Near the beginning, Ana tells Teo, “ Someday we’ll discover the rest of
Deu’s story.”(page 26).Hence the quest for the New Testament.Teo meets a “scrawny teacher with long white
hair [named Sol]” (page 74), who broadens Teo and Ana’s knowledge of Deu.Sol is a believer in Deu (Deus), telling Teo,
“I do [believe in the Creator].His name
is Deus.He is one true God, and he
existed before all time.” (page 76)But
they do not know who “Iesu Christe” (page 79) is.Sol does tell Teo that he had heard “this
name used to describe a savior figure prefigured in the Holy Book.” (page
79)They read from the Second Book of
Samuhel, the seventh chapter about a Promised king who will rule forever.But they do not know if Iesu Christe is the
Promised King.Sol also reads from “the
fifty-third chapter of Isaias” (page 79), describing a “’man of sorrows’ who
ended his life in defeat” (page 79).And
they do not know which Iesu Christe is – “the victorious Promised King or the
defeated Suffering Servant” (page 79).More hints are given as Teo and Ana are “window shopping” and Ana’s eyes
land on what we would call a crucifix with a corpus on it.They know the cross is Deu’s symbol, but did
not know it was a place of death.Throughout the book Teo and Ana’s knowledge grows by bits and pieces as
they interact with other “Christiani,” and as more and more truth of Deu is
revealed to them.Again it is
fascinating to see the revealed truths of the Christian faith veiled and then
unveiled bit by bit.

Sol and Teo travel to the Forbidden Zone, the Land of the
Defectives, to learn more about the “Pierced One.” (page 132)The Defectives are anyone who has a
disfigurement of any kind.They are
removed from the country of Ulmbartia to the Forbidden Zone by the shamans,
also known as the Exterminati.As Teo
and Sol meet the Overseer, one receives a hint of the theology of the cross
that is scattered throughout the book.He tells Teo, “To perceive the truth, you cannot be whole, . . . [o]nly
the broken can truly see.” (page 130)He
then “breaks” Teo by piercing his hand with a nail.The Overseer also tells Teo, “I believe you
may one day understand the nature of weakness . . . Deus favors the weak and
the downtrodden.He hides his strength
in them.”(page 132)By the way, Ana is also a defective because
of the scar from the wolf bite she had received.(pages 154-155)The Pope is in The Gift, albeit a
kinder, gentler Pope, called “Papa” by the Christiani.He even lives in Roma.He is the leader of the Universal
Communion.Teo struggles with having a
theology of glory as he believes that the power of the Promised King must
return to his followers. (page 293)He
thinks that evil is in control because Borja (an evil man whose motto is
“cruelty is strength (p. 150)) “controls everything.” (page 294) He tells the
Papa, “But if we had power, things would be reversed.Instead of being weak, we’d be the triumphant
ones.”(page 294)Teo sees power and weakness as being “mutually
exclusive.” (page 295)“If you’re weak,
you lose.Be strong, and you win.”e tellsHe(page 295)

Later, by means of a diary, Ana tells Teo of the theology of the cross,
“This is exactly how Deu works.He takes
the weak and raises them up, and he brings the mighty low.He turns all our values upside-down. “ (page
344)Teo, Ana, Sol, the Overseer, the
Papa, and many other characters wrestle with exactly how Deu works in the
world.Through power or through weakness?

Evil. Good.A
washing.A sacred meal which “binds us
to Iesus.”(Page 294)Chastity.God’s care and providence.His
working through means.Revelation.The quest for the New Testament.Missions.These and many more theological concepts are found throughoutThe Gift.The story itself is worth reading.Especially if one has read The Sword.One just has to find out what happens to Teo
and Ana! Will they move closer to their
goal of bringing the New Testament to their homeland of Chiveis?

A QBRreviewer strives to answer this
question:should a Lutheran pastor or
layperson purchase this book or borrow it from the library and read it?As I wrote in my review of The Sword:“Like all fiction books, this one transports
the reader to a different world.Dr.
Litfin does an excellent job bringing us from the 21st century to
the Kingdom of Chiveis four centuries into the future.The book is a vehicle to think about how the
Bible and the Church survive in the future against demonic forces.The book’s story line is very creative.As a Lutheran pastor or layperson reads it
with Lutheran eyes, he or she can receive much diversion and enjoyment from
reading [The Gift.]Should you
purchase it with your hard-earned money?Obviously that is a personal question which only you can answer.But unless Pastor Cain gives me the next
volume of the trilogy to read (and review!), I am looking forward to adding it
to my library.”

The Rev. Peter Bertram is Pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chadron, Nebraska and is a regular contributing reviewer to QBR.

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